Smryna closes door on Lions’ season

Smyrna is moving on in the Region 4-AAA Tournament for the first time in 13 years.

Smyrna is moving on in the Region 4-AAA Tournament for the first time in 13 years.

The Bulldogs secured their first region win since 2001 with a 75-65 upset of District 8-AAA regular season champion Columbia Saturday night.

"I’m so dang proud of our guys," said Smyrna coach Brian Turner. "It’s been 12 years since our school has been this deep (in the postseason)."

Smyrna (14-16) now travels to face second-ranked Siegel (28-1), a 73-38 winner over Lawrence County, in the 4-AAA semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

The Stars already have defeated the Bulldogs three times this season, including an 80-66 win in the District 7-AAA semifinals last Saturday.

"Right now nobody is expecting anything," Turner said. "We’re in a great situation."

The loss ends the season for the Lions (19-10), who were seeking their first region tournament win since reaching the state tournament in 2010.

"I think the biggest thing was defensively we didn’t contain their guards at all," said Columbia coach Hal Murrell. "They got to the paint whenever they wanted to."

The Bulldogs defeated Columbia in the season opener for both teams on Nov. 12, but they appeared to be in trouble after the Lions’ Kendall Gill hit the 10th of his team’s 11 3-pointers to give them a 43-37 lead.

However, a driving basket from Gonda Ameri provided a spark for Smyrna, who countered with an 18-4 run to build a 55-47 advantage late in the third quarter.

"I felt like we could (score in) transition against these guys," Turner said. "We watched a lot of game film where (Columbia) didn’t get back. That’s what opened up the game for us."

Back-to-back baskets from Brandon Levier and Kevonta Cathey pulled Columbia within 55-51 with 7:31 remaining, but once again Smyrna answered.

Jaylen Jonhson, who scored a game-high 23 points, capped a 12-2 run with a put back to give Smyrna a commanding 67-53 lead with 3:55 left to play.

The Lions trimmed their deficit to eight points with 49.8 seconds remaining, but they were unable to get any closer despite the Bulldogs only hitting 4-of-9 free throws in the final 2:11 of the game.

Chavel Glover added 16 points for Smyrna, while Ameri came off the bench to score 12 points.

"Our guys fought hard," Turner said. "(Columbia) was 8-of-17 in the first half from the 3-point line and it’s hard to beat anybody shooting that well. I told our guys do a better job on the screen and roll and they’ll cool down on the 3 some."

Gill’s 15 points were tops for the Lions, while Cathey and Tyler Andrews added 14 and 12 points, respectively.

"Unfortunately, I think our whole district was swept," Murrell said. "I think the time for (District 8-AAA) sending multiple teams past the first round of the region are going to be few and far between."